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"The False Lover Won Back" is a Scottish ballad, cataloged as
"The False Lover Won Back" is a Scottish ballad, cataloged as Child Ballad
The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies of them were published as '' ...
218 ( Roud 201).
Origins
Francis James Child
Francis James Child (February 1, 1825 – September 11, 1896) was an American scholar, educator, and folklorist, best known today for his collection of English and Scottish ballads now known as the Child Ballads. Child was Boylston professor of r ...
cataloged the song as Child Ballad
The Child Ballads are 305 traditional ballads from England and Scotland, and their American variants, anthologized by Francis James Child during the second half of the 19th century. Their lyrics and Child's studies of them were published as '' ...
218, recovering two texts representing it. It is also cataloged as Roud 201. The song spread in some form from its origins in Scotland through England as far as the United States, although it is among the lesser-known ballads.
The song has similarities to and may share an origin with other ballads, such as Child Waters. It has sometimes also been called "Young John" or "The Fause Lover."
Synopsis
In the ballad, a woman pursues her lover, who is leaving her for another who is more beautiful. He begs her to forsake him, plying her with gifts, but eventually buys her a wedding gown or a wedding ring and agrees to marry her. According to Walter Morris Hart, the ballad is somewhat unusual for its depicting a situation in which "it is the maiden who does the wooing."Legacy
Ewan MacColl
James Henry Miller (25 January 1915 – 22 October 1989), better known by his stage name Ewan MacColl, was a folk singer-songwriter, folk song collector, labour activist and actor. Born in England to Scottish parents, he is known as one of the ...
and Peggy Seeger performed the song on their 1956 album ''Classic Scots Ballads''. The song was also included as a bonus track on a reissue of Martin Carthy
Martin Carthy MBE (born 21 May 1941) is an English folk singer and guitarist who has remained one of the most influential figures in British traditional music, inspiring contemporaries such as Bob Dylan and Paul Simon, and later artists such as ...
's 1972 album '' Shearwater.''
References